Bears Pass Defenders Playing Too Fast for Their Own Good
The Bears secondary has been good and there are plenty of numbers to reflect this.
Their league-leading completion percentage against of 57.1% and the second-best passer rating against of 73.5 are two of those. The secondary is largely responsible for the 32% third-down percentage they have, and the four touchdown passes allowed, which are second best in the league.
In fact, they've been too efficient, especially cornerback Kyle Fuller.
Fuller's hits have been so well-timed on passes that they have fooled officials several times this season into throwing penalty flags. On Sunday, it cost the Bears a first down at the goal line and another time resulted in a Bears touchdown being taken away.
"And we were kind of joking about it on the plane," Bears coach Matt Nagy said. "Kyle sits right behind me."
It's easy to joke after a win.
"They are just creating havoc," Nagy said of his team's secondary. "It's cool to see. It's across the board and you feel that. What that's doing right now is that it's putting us a great spot to be able to win these games and we understand that."
Fuller was first flagged against Carolina for a second-and-10 hit he made during the second quarter on Keith Kirkwood as a pass arrived at the Bears 27.
Fuller timed the hit perfectly, as he did the previous week with a hit against Tampa Bay on an incompletion that was first called and then waved off. The hit was not a head to head one but in the shoulder area. Execpt this time, they didn't wave off the penalty.
"There is literally nothing you can do in his position," Nagy said. "He's just playing football. It's unfortunate. It's a bang-bang play.
"The referees have a tough job there when it is that fast. Just one of those games yesterday where it felt like we had a few things that went against us, not intentionally or anything like that."
The previous week Fuller hit KeShawn Vaughn and knocked the ball loose for a fumble and the Bears recovered as the flag flew for unsportsmanlike conduct, but later the flag was waved off. The field position from the fumble let the Bears score a go-ahead touchdown before halftime.
However, the penalty this time was enforced and Carolina was in position to score before a goal-line stand—assisted by Fuller's big tackle in the open field of Teddy Bridgewater at the 3-yard line—resulted in the Panthers settling for a field goal.
Fuller later was penalized for pass interference when he arrived a shade too soon on the hit that caused the ball to pop into the air for Eddie Jackson to pick off and take back for a touchdown. This TD potentially could have turned the game into a rout.
It did appear on replay like Fuller arrived too soon but the ball suspiciously changed both the way it was spiraling and direction after it passed the hand of Bilal Nichols on the play. The Bears charged it had been tipped, so there could be no pass interference called. Officials again ruled against them.
"It was tough, especially for a guy like Bo Jack," Gipson said of Jackson. "That's the mindset and lo and behold Kyle made a great play on the ball, right place, right time man and ... I think that wasn't just a momentum swing. That was a punch in the stomach man.
"Because obviously I won't get into whether that was the right call or not, but I just think that was tough. Great play by Kyle, even better play by Eddie to get in for a touchdown and when those types of plays are taken back."
Earlier this season Deon Bush get penalized for arriving a hair early and knocking the ball into the air for Jackson to make an interception and return it for a TD against the New York Giants.
The pass interference on Johnson at the 1-yard line angered the Bears, as well. They allowed only one touchdown and it was after officials awarded them the yardage when replay failed to turn up any real contact on the play initiated by Johnson.
Toss those in with the Khalil Mack strip sack and Akiem Hicks sack that were taken away by penalties this year and the defense looks far more formidable in reality than they have been in officials' minds.
"It was what it was," Nagy said. "That's another part, I think, to everybody here, that's another part of the game.
"I'm proud of our guys to be able to work through that kind of stuff, where we're fighting through that kind of adversity and still winning. That's the excitement we have."
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
